Do you think immigrants should learn English instead of expecting us to speak their native lanquage?

Da Judge

`Si (Spanish). Ya (Swedish). Da (Russian). Youbetcha (Brooklyn).

Zoe

I agree they really need to learn English since let's say 85% of America does it is vital they do to advance. Two languages will divide the country

IM Myself

Yea

jay s

Yes. What ever the national language should be of the Host country an immigrant should make an effort to learn and communicate in that language. It is an ethic.

CrazyCatLady

this shouldn't even be a question up for debate. When my grandparents LEGALLY immigrated here from Germany, they followed the procedures and worked very hard to learn English and adapt to their new home - why should that ch age for ANY immigrant wanting to move to ANY country?
Imagine that we (THE USA) handled the immigration this poorly from the beginning, bending over backwards so the immigrants would not have to assimilate to their new home, and each group from all the different places remained specialized and segregated? This would not be the UNITED States of America now would it? It would be a bunch of separate little countries.....

andrew b

Yes, English should be insisted upon

Chaz S

It took me 6 months touring South America to learn Spanish. I refuse to speak it in my own country where our constitution was written in English. Anyone unwilling to learn our language in order to apply for legal citizenship before living here needs to go home.

Brian S

Without a doubt. But we should still try to learn other languages (I'm not saying just Spanish. That is the last language I will ever learn).

"I Want to Know Your Answer

Of course. They entered here to live here; they should speak our language to communicate with us.

sweet..dude..sweet..dude

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nexus K

they should learn english,but yet again its not them that's forcing you to learn spanish or any other language its the businesses that cater to them and want their money that do.So instead of saying that "oh they are forcing me to learn spanish" why not go boycott the businesses that say "come in we speak spanish" and hire only bilingual workers?

mr_spanky_wilson

i think they should at least try i will be moving to the Philippines in about a month and i feel as though i should learn there language which is Tagalog or at least enough to work and function as a member of the society

princess_29_71

English is the language in the U.S. The very least they should do since they have invaded and infested our country is to learn English. I am tired of Americans rewarding these criminal invaders by handing them everything.

Kay

Well, hell yeah, they should learn how to speak ENGLISH.
They should also learn how to keep a nickel between their women's knees... if they can't support their kids!

loryntoo

There are over a hundred languages spoken in the USA ranging from Native American languages to everywhere else. The dominant language that most people understand is American English (not to be confused with British English). If immigrants choose not to learn the dominant language, that's their choice. Being stuck in a dead-end job is a consequence of that choice. We are under NO obligation to make their lives easier by approving a secondary language in this country.

If we approved a secondary language, we'd have to approve a third and a fourth and why not require that all signs be in EVERY language in the USA?

ditto

English should be the First and "Official Language" of the United States.

All others secondary.

Learning English is by law one of the requirements of becoming a LEGAL CITIZEN!

Just because they pick our tomatoes, doesn't mean we're going to let them take over our Country!

Angela M

I think that immigrants should learn the local language. But until they have, we need to be a little bit accomodating. Most immigrants cannot study English in their little village back home, so they have to learn it here... I bet YOUR great-great-grandparents didn't speak English EITHER!!!!!

Millie S

As cliched as this may sound, "When in Rome do as the Romans do" In English speaking nations , I am of the opinion that it is definitely beneficial to learn English in order to be able to put across your points of view in a lucid manner.It will certainly cut time when things have to be done urgently. However whether to learn it or not should be voluntary.When English speakers go to other countries it will certainly benefit them to learn the local language for the same reason. However there too, it must be done on a voluntary basis. English has emerged as on of the most versatile languages of our time and it has emerged as the lingua franca of the world and bridges several linguistic as well as cultural divides. Its knowledge has become beneficial if not imperative in global communication.As a foreign national myself, I am discovering its growing utility with each passing day

Jon W

Yes.

How about paying for it via a tax on employers of immigrants?
(Phased out after a proficiency test?)
Do employers have to pay Social Security tax on immigrants?

Might not make immigrant labor as cheap...

In return, make citizenship easier? x months less waiting?

I started this when the question first appeared several hours ago and was interrupted. So, I don't know what's been answered since. A - fresh perspective on a several hours old question.

Liddy is Lost

Yes, I do. But what I notice a lot of on these boards, is that a foreign person makes an effort to put their question in English and people are criticising them because it is not perfect, ie spelling and gramatical errors. It is just another way of putting immigrants down. They probably wonder why they bother trying, as it is not even appreciated. It takes time to pick up a foreign language, and the hardest part is writing in another language. People should take that into account and stop being so harsh, when half of them can't even spell themselves and their native tongue is English! HTH : )

Ms Pepsi

yep

twocute4u

If they want to live and work here then they should be able to speak, read and write the english language. English is the number 1 language in the United States.

Shikma

Yes . You are correct. A decade ago to learn English, you had to attend costly English classes or purchase course material like tapes and books. Now you can learn English for free from the comfort of your home using the Internet. The BBC and the British Council offer a number of on line courses, which teach written and
spoken English. You can also improve your English by watching television programs and reading English newspapers. For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/qnzpt You can duide them to this site...!

WildThing

Not just yes, but Hell Yes!!!! It's basically the greasers who want us to learn Spanish for their benefit since they're too ignorant and lazy to learn English. And aren't you sick of buying products in the store that are printed in both English and Spanish? We need to stop giving in to the greasers while they're out there waving their Mexican flag and shouting in Spanish. If they refuse to learn English - they should be sent back across the border. I'll even buy the first tank of gas for a truck transporting them back.

hell no

my name says it all, if we really wanted to make English our primary language, can anyone tell me why do we have FOREIGN LANGUAGES AS A COURSE AT OUR HIGHSCHOOLS????? if you answer "for traveling purpose" you're wrong, because about 78% of the overall population isn't going to travel overseas. so you tell me, are we trying to cope with the Spaniards or are we just stupid and decided that learning another laguage is not time consuming.

ryanisalifestyle

wtf r u talking about? they dont expect us to learn their language. Its just that a lot of these immigrants move to places where there is a lot of their kind so they dont need to learn english because everyone there already speaks their language.

and have you ever been to the tourist zones in mexico? EVERYONE speaks english there...

jm4

I don't think that immigrants expect us to speak their language. They know that if they want to live here, they need to learn English. Most do, or at least make an attempt to do so.

If you're speaking of Spanish-speaking immigrants, they don't expect us to know Spanish. Most learn English. However, there are a lot of Spanish speakers in the U.S., which makes it a little easier on them.

homelessinorangecounty

Spanish and Native American languages were spoken long before English in California. and many other places in the USA
why don't we speak one of those?
cause were the big powerful white guys who take over and then demand us and ours only..
in many areas of the country where there are large immigrant populations there is bilingual Chinese Vietnamese German Italian and on and on ..info and services.
why shouldn't we like most Europeans know several languages instead of being thought of as the big dumb bully my way or the highway Americans?

Bebe

Sorry to contradict you but if you have visited the Costa del Sol, Falaraki or any of the places we colonized we didn't and don't speak their language, we turn up put in a few traditional pubs to serve fry ups, get drunk harass the locals and then pass out in the streets.

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